Write up your Lab Reports - See below for Lab Report Format
Look over and understand the information in "On Your Own" Section
Complete the Study Guide for Chapter Two
After you have completed all of the above we will review for the test.
I am planning to allow you guys to work at your own pace on most of your Science assignments. I will tell you when your lab notebooks will be checked and test will be administered. The first unit is long so I am going to give you 2 weeks to finish your assignments. All 4 labs need to be finished by Wednesday, September 2nd, and the chapter one study guides also need to be completed by Wednesday, September 2nd. Thursday, September 3rd, will be a review day and we will do this lesson together. Friday will be the test over Chapter One.
Lab Reports need to be written in the following format.
A scientific report usually consists of the following:
Title ...................................5pts
Introduction ......................20 pts
Materials and methods ....15 pts
Results .............................25 pts
Discussion........................35 pts
There is general agreement among scientists that each section of the report should contain specific types of information.
Title
The title should be less than ten words and should reflect the factual content of the paper. Scientific titles are not designed to catch the reader's fancy. A good title is straightforward and uses keywords that researchers in a particular field will recognize.
Introduction
The introduction defines the subject of the report. It must outline the scientific purpose(s) or objective(s) for the research performed and give the reader sufficient background to understand the rest of the report. Care should be taken to limit the background to whatever is pertinent to the experiment. A good introduction will answer several questions, including the following: Why was this study performed? What knowledge already exists about this subject? What is the specific purpose of the study?
The specific hypotheses should be described.
Materials and Methods
The materials and methods used in the experiments should be reported in this section. This can usually be done in a short paragraph, possibly along with a drawing of the experimental apparatus. Generally, this section attempts to answer the following questions: What materials were used?
How were they used?
Where and when was the work done? (This question is most important in field studies.)
Results
The results section should summarize the data from the experiments without discussing their implications. The data should be organized into tables, figures, graphs, photographs, and so on. All figures and tables should have descriptive titles and should include a legend explaining any symbols, abbreviations, or special methods used. Figures and tables should be numbered separately and should be referred to in the text by number, for example:
Figure 1 shows that the activity decreased after five minutes.
The activity decreased after five minutes (fig. 1).
Figures and tables should be self-explanatory; that is, the reader should be able to understand them without referring to the text. All columns and rows in tables should be labeled.
Discussion
This section should not just be a restatement of the results but should emphasize interpretation of the data, relating them to existing theory and knowledge. Speculation is appropriate, if it is so identified. Suggestions for the improvement of techniques or experimental design may also be included here. In writing this section, you should explain the logic that allows you to accept or reject your original hypotheses. You should also be able to suggest future experiments that might clarify areas of doubt in your results.
Weekly Assignments - August 24th-September 4th
After you have completed all of the above we will review for the test.
I am planning to allow you guys to work at your own pace on most of your Science assignments. I will tell you when your lab notebooks will be checked and test will be administered. The first unit is long so I am going to give you 2 weeks to finish your assignments. All 4 labs need to be finished by Wednesday, September 2nd, and the chapter one study guides also need to be completed by Wednesday, September 2nd. Thursday, September 3rd, will be a review day and we will do this lesson together. Friday will be the test over Chapter One.
Lab Reports need to be written in the following format.
A scientific report usually consists of the following:
- Title ...................................5pts
- Introduction ......................20 pts
- Materials and methods ....15 pts
- Results .............................25 pts
- Discussion........................35 pts
There is general agreement among scientists that each section of the report should contain specific types of information.Title
The title should be less than ten words and should reflect the factual content of the paper. Scientific titles are not designed to catch the reader's fancy. A good title is straightforward and uses keywords that researchers in a particular field will recognize.Introduction
The introduction defines the subject of the report. It must outline the scientific purpose(s) or objective(s) for the research performed and give the reader sufficient background to understand the rest of the report. Care should be taken to limit the background to whatever is pertinent to the experiment. A good introduction will answer several questions, including the following:Why was this study performed?
What knowledge already exists about this subject?
What is the specific purpose of the study?
Materials and Methods
The materials and methods used in the experiments should be reported in this section. This can usually be done in a short paragraph, possibly along with a drawing of the experimental apparatus. Generally, this section attempts to answer the following questions:What materials were used?
How were they used?
Where and when was the work done? (This question is most important in field studies.)
Results
The results section should summarize the data from the experiments without discussing their implications. The data should be organized into tables, figures, graphs, photographs, and so on. All figures and tables should have descriptive titles and should include a legend explaining any symbols, abbreviations, or special methods used. Figures and tables should be numbered separately and should be referred to in the text by number, for example:- Figure 1 shows that the activity decreased after five minutes.
- The activity decreased after five minutes (fig. 1).
Figures and tables should be self-explanatory; that is, the reader should be able to understand them without referring to the text. All columns and rows in tables should be labeled.Discussion
This section should not just be a restatement of the results but should emphasize interpretation of the data, relating them to existing theory and knowledge. Speculation is appropriate, if it is so identified. Suggestions for the improvement of techniques or experimental design may also be included here. In writing this section, you should explain the logic that allows you to accept or reject your original hypotheses. You should also be able to suggest future experiments that might clarify areas of doubt in your results.